Apparatus for cleaning the sealing surfaces of doors and door jambs of by-product coke ovens

ABSTRACT

THE CLEANING APPARATUS INCLUDES A CLEANING TOOL WITH A BASE PORTION HAVING A PAIR OF SPACED SCRAPERS EXTENDING THEREFROM IN DIVERGING RELATION TO EACH OTHER. AN ARM MEMBER EXTENDS REARWARDLY FROM THE CLEANING TOOL BASE PORTION. A ROD MEMBER IS PIVOTALLY SECURED TO THE REAR END PORTION OF THE ARM MEMBER AND EXTENDS FORWARDLY THEREFROM TOWARD THE CLEANING TOOL BASE PORTION. AN INTERMEDIATE TUBULAR SUPPORT MEMBER IS COAXIALLY POSITIONED ON THE ROD MEMBER AND HAS A TRANSVERSE CONNECTING PORTION ADJACENT THE FRONT END. A PAIR OF LEVERS ARE CONNECTED TO THE TRANSVERSE CONNECTING MEMBER AND EXTEND REARWARDLY THEREFROM AND THE OTHER ENDS OF THE PAIR OF LEVERS ARE PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO A FIXED FRAME MEMBER. A DRIVE MECHANISM IS PROVIDED TO RECIPROCALLY MOVE THE CLEANING TOOL ALONG A SEALING SURFACE OF A COKE OVEN DOOR OR DOOR JAMB. A SPRING BETWEEN THE ROD AND TUBULAR SUPPORT MEMBER URGES THE CLEANING TOOL AGAINST THE SEALING SURFACE AND THE FRICTION BETWEEN THE SCRAPER PORTION OF THE CLEANING TOOL AND THE SEALING SURFACE PIVOTS THE CLEANING TOOL AND ARM MEMBER RELATIVE TO THE LEVER MEMBERS SO THAT ONLY ONE SCRAPER CONTACTS THE SEALING SURFACE DURING THE CLEANING OPERATION.

Oct. 5, 197i w. STANKE EVAL 3,609,736

APPARATUS FOR CLEANING THE SEALING SURFACES OFDOORS AND DOOR JAMES OFBY-PRODUGT COKE OVENS Filed Oct. l5, 1969 7 2a l 50 Il 60 70 Il 76 46 ,142 x 38 22 /00\ II 11H1 M /02 9a I l I] a lmjj?Lum d] /o Il It' 54\\\jll lyf\ #if Z752 /04 l l I 72 74 66 x i 64 f sa so f' 2o I /NVENTORSWALTER STA/VIVE and GOTTFR/EQ @E RTENS fha/'r Attorney United StatesPatent O 3,609,786 APPARATUS FOR CLEANING THE SEALING SURFACES F DOORSAND DOOR JAMBS OF BY-PRODUCT COKE OVEN S Walter Stanke and GottfriedMertens, Essen, Germany,

assignors to Heinrich Kappers Gesellschaft mit beschrankter Haftung,Essen, Germany Filed Oct. 13, 1969, Ser. No. 865,637 Claims priority,application Germany, Oct. 26, 1968, I 18 05 388.8 Int. Cl. Clb 43/04U.S. Cl. -93 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The cleaning apparatusincludes a cleaning tool with a base portion having a pair of spacedScrapers extending therefrom in diverging relation to each other. An armmember extends rearwardly from the cleaning tool base portion. A rodmember is pivotally secured to the rear end portion of the arm memberand extends forwardly therefrom toward the cleaning tool base portion.An intermediate tubular support member is coaxially positioned on therod member and has a transverse connecting portion adjacent the frontend. A pair of levers are connected to the transverse connecting memberand extend rearwardly therefrom and the other ends of the pair of leversare pivotally connected to a fixed frame member. A drive mechanism isprovided to reciprocally move the cleaning tool along a sealing surfaceof a coke oven door or door jamb. A spring between the rod and tubularsupport member urges the cleaning tool against the sealing surface andthe friction between the scraper portion of the cleaning tool and thesealing surface pivots the cleaning tool and arm member relative to thelever members so that only one scraper contacts the sealing surfaceduring the cleaning operation.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION (l) Field of the invention This inventionrelates to apparatus for cleaning surfaces and more particularly toapparatus for cleaning the sealing surfaces of doors and door jambs ofby-product coke ovens.

(2) Description of the prior art A conventional by-product coke ovenbattery includes a series of horizontal coke oven chambers with openingson opposite ends thereof. Coke oven doors seal the openings during thecoking operation and are removed during the pushing or removal of thecoke charge. It is essential during the coking operation that a positiveseal exist between each coke oven door and the door jamb in which it ispositioned. The conventional self sealing coke oven doors include aframe with a raised knife edge portion and adjacent planar portionsextending around the periphery of the door. The door jamb on the cokeoven chamber also includes peripheral planar surfaces that mate with theknife edge portion of the door and other portions of the door to providea seal therebetween. During the operation of the coke ovens the sealingsurfaces on the coke oven door and door jambs become encrusted with acarbonaceous material of a pitchy nature and this material must becompletely removed from the sealing surfaces before the door can bereplaced with a positive seal between the door and the underlying doorjamb.

The known scraper type cleaning tools used to remove the encrustedcarbonaceous material have scraping edges arranged at the same angle tothe sealing surfaces and all the scraping edges are in abutting relationwith the sealing surfaces during the cleaning operation. The knownScrapers are suitable for scraping off the deposits and pushing thedislodged deposits in front of the scraper as it moves linearly along asealing edge or surface. When the direction of movement of the scraperor cleaning tool is reversed, the dislodged carbonaceous material,because of its pitchy nature, adheres to the sealing surface on eitherthe dor or the door jamb. This is especially true where a horizbontalsealing surface forms a corner with a vertical sealing surface. Becauseof the above difficulty, after the termination of the cleaning process,most of the sealing surface is free from deposits. Small accumulationsof the adhered deposits remain, however, at the locations where thedirection of the cleaning tools was reversed and also in the recessedcorners. To obtain a reliable seal it is now necessary in many instancesto manually remove the remaining adhered deposits. This reducessubstantially the advantages of mechanical cleaning apparatus.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The hereinafter described door and door jambcleaning apparatus eliminates the above discussed problems in that onlyone of the scrapers is in abutting scraping relation with the sealingsurface. Upon reversal, the scraper is lifted from the sealing surfacein a manner that the deposits adhering to the scraper and the sealingsurface are removed from the sealing surface with the scraper.

The cleaning apparatus includes a cleaning tool with a pair of spacedforwardly extending and diverging cleaning surfaces. The cleaning toolhas a rearwardly extending arm member that is pivotally connected to aforwardly extending intermediate support. A pair of spaced levers arepivotally secured adjacent one end to the intermediate support and atthe other end to a frame member. The pivot axis between the intermediatesupport and arm member is located between the pivot axes for theopposite ends of the lever member. A resilient means urges the cleaningtool against the sealing surface so that the friction between thescraper and the sealing surface during movement of the cleaning toolcauses the arm and cleaning tool to pivot relative to the pair of levermembers and engage only the front scraper in the direction of movementof the cleaning tool. When the direction of the cleaning tool isreversed, the trailing scraper is liftedfrom the sealing surface withthe dislodged material adhering thereto. The cutting tool may alsocomprise several scraper blades positioned in overlying verticalrelation to each other and arranged to clean sealing surfaces ofdifferent elevation at different cleaning pressures.

Accordingly, the principal object of this invention is to providescraper-like cleaning apparatus for the sealing surfaces of coke ovendoors and door jambs that removes the dislodged carbonaceous materialadhering to both the scraper and the sealing surface upon reversal inthe direction of the cleaning tool.

Another object of this invention is to provide cleaning apparatus thateffectively removes the dislodged carbonaceous material from cornersbetween vertical and horizontal sealing surfaces.

These and other objects and advantages of this invention will be morecompletely disclosed and described in the following specification, theaccompanying drawings and the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. is a top plan view of thecleaning apparatus for cleaning the upper horizontal sealing edge of acoke oven door.

FIG. 2 is a View in section taken along the line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

3 DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Although the hereinafterdescription is, for illustrative purposes, directed to apparatus forcleaning the upper horizontal sealing edge of a coke oven door,apparatus similar to that illustrated in FIGS. l and 2 may also be usedfor cleaning both the vertical and horizontal sealing surfaces of doorsand door jambs of coke ovens and it iS not intended to be restricted tothe Specific embodiment illustrated.

Referring to the drawings there is illustrated schematically in FIGS. 1and 2 a coke oven door generally designated by the numeral that includesa refractory plug 12, an upper horizontal sealing strip |14 and a pairof vertical sealing strips 16 and 18 illustrated by dotted lines in FIG.l. The sealing strips 14 include a planar surface 20 and a forwardlyextending knife edge type sealing Surface 22. The junction between thevertical portions 16 and 18 and the horizontal portion 14 forms recessedcorners 24.

The planar surface 20 and the knife edge portion 22 of door 10accumulate carbonaceous sticky material thereon during the cokingprocess and it is essential that the carbonaceous material be cleanedand removed therefrom vbefore the door is again repositioned in the doorjamb so that there is an effective seal therebetween. The coke oven doorjamb has similar surfaces that accumulate carbonaceous material thereonthat also has to be removed before an effective seal can be accomplishedbetween the door and the door jamb.

Apparatus for cleaning the sealing surfaces is illustrated in FIGS. 1and 2 and the cleaning apparatus is generally designated by the numeral26. Secured to the front end of the cleaning apparatus 26 adjacent thesealing surfaces of the coke oven door 10 is a cleaning tool generallydesignated by the numeral 28. The cleaning tool 28 has a first bodyportion 30 with a pair of forwardly extending Scrapers or scraper blades32 and 34. The Scrapers 32 and 34 are spaced from each other and are indiverging relation to each other. The Scrapers 32 and 34 are arranged toremove the carbonaceous deposits from the horizontal planar surface 20.The cleaning tool 28 also has a second body portion 36 that is securedto the iirst mentioned body portion 30. A pair of Scrapers 38 and 40extend forwardly from the body portion 36 and are in diverging relationto each other. The Scrapers 38 and 40 are positioned above the Scrapers32 and 34 and are arranged to abut the knife edge sealing surface 22 andremove the carbonaceous material therefrom. The upper portion ofcleaning tool 28 comprising body portion 3.6 and Scrapers 38 and 40 maybe fabricated of a more resilient material than the Scrapers 32 and 34so that a predetermined scraping pressure is exerted on the selectedsealing surfaces 20 and 22.

The cleaning tool body portion 30 is secured to a transverse member I42that forms a portion of the arm member generally designated by thenumeral 44. The arm member 44 extends rearwardly from the cleaning tool28 and has an upper plate member 46 and a lower plate member 48 that arearranged in parallel relation to each other and have a pair of alignedapertures 50 and 52 adjacent the rear end portion. A cylindrical bearing54 extends between the aligned apertures 50 and 52 and bolt 56 securesthe plates 46 and 48 in spaced relation adjacent the rear end portion.

An intermediate support generally designated by the numeral 60 ispositioned between the plates 46 and 48 of arm member 44 and includes arod member 62 that is threadedly secured in a transverse sleeve 64. Thesleeve 64 is coaxially positioned around the bolt 56 so that the axis ofbolt 56 provides a pivot axis between the rear end of the arm 44 and therear end of the intermediate support 60. The rod member 62 with sleeve64 is free to rotate about the bolt 56 to thereby provide a pivotconnection therebetween. The rod 62 extends forwardly from the sleeve 64and is positioned within a horizontal slotted portion 66 of the member42. A tubular member 68 is coaxially positioned on the rod member 62 andhas an end portion 70 with an aperture 72 therethrough for the rod 62.The rod 62 has an annular clamp 74 thereon and spring 76 is positionedbetween the claimp 74 and the tubular end portion 70. The spring 76, aslater explained, is arranged to urge the cleaning tool 28 into abuttingrelation with the sealing surfaces.

The tubular member 68 has a pair of transverse channel members 78 and 80secured thereto and extending transversely beyond the edges of themembers 46 and 48. The channel members 78 and 80 have vertical alignedapertures therethrough for receiving bolts 82 and 84.

Positioned above the arm member 44 and intermediate support 60 are apair of levers 86 and 90. The front end of levers 86 and 90 arepivotally secured to the transverse mem-bers 78 and 80 of intermediatesupport .60 by means of bolts 82 and 84. The opposite ends of the levers86 and 90 are pivotally secured t0 the frame member 92 by bolts 94 and96. With this arrangement the levers 86 and 90 are operable to move thecleaning tool 28 in a generally arcuate path relative to the sealingsurfaces 20 and 22. As later explained, the spring 76 compensates forthe arcuate path and maintains the scraper blades in abutting relationwith the sealing surfaces 20 and 22.

The apparatus for pivoting the levers 86 and 90 includes an arcuate gearSegment 98 nonrotatably connected to the lever 86 through a flexiblecoupling 100. A pinion gear 102 meshes with the gear segment 98 and isdriven through a suitable reducer i104 by motor 106. With thisarrangement the gear segment 98 rotates levers 86 and 90 so that thelevers pivot about the pivot axes of bolts 94 and 96 to follow thearcuate path illustrated in phantom lines in FIG. l. Upon reversal thelevers 86 and move the cleaning tool 28 in the opposite direction tothereby move the cleaning tool 28 reciprocally along the sealingsurfaces to thereby remove the accumulation of carbonaceous material bythe Scrapers extending forwardly from the cleaning tool 28.

OPERATION The cleaning apparatus 26 operates in the following manner.The frame member 92 is moved into the position illustrated in FIG. 2relative to the coke oven door 10. The frame is `advanced so that theScrapers 32, 34, 38 and 40 abut the respective surfaces 20 and 22 andthe frame 92 is advanced further to compress the spring 76 between theabutments 72 and 74 to thereby continually urge the scraper bladesagainst the sealing surfaces.

When the motor 106 is energized, the levers 86 and 90 are pivotallymoved, for illustrative purposes, toward the phantom illustration of thearm 44. Before linear movement of the cleaning tool is initiated, thereis frictional contact between the front edge of the Scrapers and thesealing surfaces. The force exerted by the levers 86 and 90 is opposedby the frictional force between the scraper blade and the sealingsurface. The frictional force pivots the arm 44 about the pivot axis ofbolt 56 to lift the rear scraper blade away from the sealing surface, asis illustrated in phantom in FIG. l. With this arrangement the onlyscraper blade in contact with the sealing surface is the front scraperblade, determined by the direction of movement of the cleaning tool. TheSame is true for the blades 38 and 40. It should be noted that thetransverse members 78 and 80 are movable between the plates 46 and 48 ofthe arm 44 to compensate for the arcuate movement as illustrated in FIG.l.

When the scraper blade moves to the end of the sealing strip, asillustrated in phantom in FIG. 1, the ilexible coupling retains apressure on the levers 86 and 90 to maintain the cleaning tool 28 in theposition illustrated in phantom. When the direction of motion of thecleaning tool 28 is reversed, the Scrapers 32 and 38 are first liftedfrom the sealing surfaces 20 and 22 before the cleaning tool 28 beginsmovement in the opposite direction. The frictional resistance betweenthe scraper blades 34 and 40 and surfaces 20 and 22 rst pivots the arm44 in the direction opposite to that illustrated in FIG. l to therebyfirst lift the scrapers 32 and 38 from the sealing surfaces. The liftingof the Scrapers 32 and 38 from the sealing surfaces removes thedislodged sticky deposits that were transported to this location fromthe sealing surfaces. The Scrapers 34 and 40 that were simultaneouslyapplied when Scrapers 32 and 3S were lifted, now scrape the sealingsurfaces to the other end of the sealing strip. This motion may berepeated several times to thereby remove all of the carbonaceousmaterial.

With this arrangement, where the pivot axis for the arm 44 and theintermediate support 60 is positioned behind the pivot axis for thelevers 86 and 90 and the front portion of the intermediate support 60,the arm 44 will automatically pivot so that only one scraper blade inthe direction of movement of the cleaning tool is in abutting cleaningrelation with the sealing surface. It should be noted that the cleaningtool has a pair of scraper blades that diverge away from each other atan obtuse angle to the body portion. This arrangement facilitates theremoval of the sticky carbonaceous material when the scraper blade isremoved from the sealing surface.

According to the provisions of the patent statutes, we have explainedthe principle, preferred construction and mode of operation of ourinvention and have illustrated and described what we now consider torepresent its best embodiment.

We claim:

1. Apparatus for cleaning the sealing surfaces of a byproduct coke ovencomprising:

a cleaning tool having a body portion with a pair 0f spaced scrapermembers,

a pair of levers pivotally secured adjacent one end portion to a framemember,

an intermediate support member pivotally connected adjacent one end tosaid cleaning tool body portion and adjacent the other end to saidlevers adjacent said lever other end portions,

said cleaning tool body portion and said intermediate support beingpivotally connected to each other at a location between the opposite endportions of said levers,

drive means to pivot said levers and move said cleaning tool in agenerally reciprocal path along a sealing surface, and

resilient means to urge said cleaning tool against said sealing surfaceso that upon movement of said cleaning tool relative to said sealingsurface said cleaning tool body portion pivots relative to saidintermediate support member and only one of said pair of spaced scrapermembers engages said sealing surface.

2. Apparatus for cleaning the sealing surface of a byproduct coke ovenas set forth in claim 1 in which:

said cleaning tool body portion is movable longitudinally relative tosaid intermediate support.

3. Apparatus for cleaning the sealing surfaces of a byproduct coke ovenas set forth in claim 1 in which:

said scraper members extend divergently from said body portion at obtuseangles to said body portion.

4. Apparatus for cleaning the sealing surfaces of a by-product coke ovenas set forth in claim 1 in which:

said cleaning tool includes a second body portion positioned above saidfirst body portion and having a pair of spaced scraper members extendforwardly therefrom,

said second body portion and Scrapers extending therefrom formed of aresilient material to thereby control the force exerted on a secondsealing surface.

5. Apparatus for cleaning the sealing surfaces of a by-product coke ovenas set forth in claim 1 in which:

said cutting tool body portion includes a rearwardly extending armmember having a pair of spaced plate members with a pivot pin adjacentthe rear end thereof. 6. Apparatus for cleaning the sealing surface of aby-product coke oven as set forth in claim 5 in which:

said intermediate support member includes a rod member secured to atransverse sleeve member,

said sleeve member positioned coaxially on said pivot pin between saidarm plate members,

a tubular member positioned coaxially on said rod member and havingtransverse members secured to the front end thereof.

7. Apparatus for cleaning the sealing surfaces of a by-product coke ovenas set forth in claim 6 in which:

said tubular member and said rod member each have abutment membersthereon,

said resilient means is positioned between said abutment members andurges said cleaning tool against said sealing surface.

8. Apparatus for cleaning the sealing surfaces 0f a by-product coke ovenas set forth in claim 6 in which:

said pair of levers are pivotally secured to said transverse member onopposite sides of said arm member, and

said arm member being movable longitudinally relative to saidintermediate support.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 12/1941 Hawkins 15-93B 6/1961Randell et al 15-93A 8/1968 Spindeler 15-93A U..S. Cl. X.R.

